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UNTTED sTATEs PATENT oriana.v

JNO. STEVENS AND LUTHER H. BUELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

WASHING-MACI-IIN E.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 32,438, dated May 28, 1861.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, J oHN STEVENS and LUTHER H. BUELL, of the city, county,.and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Clothes-ashing Machine; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the saine, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l. is a side sectional view of our invention taken in the line as, fr, Fig. 2. Fig. 2. a transverse vertical section of the same, taken in the liner ,fz/,Figi Fig.8.a det-ached plan view of a portion of the elastic bed. Fig. 4, a section of the same, taken in the line e, e, Fig. 3. Fig. 5. a detached inverted plan of the elastic bed.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several iigures.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct our invention we will proceed to describe it.

A. represents abox which is supported at a suitable height by legs or any proper framing, and B. B. are two uprights which are secured to the box A. one at each side as shown in Fig. 2.

The uprights B. B. contain each a spring C. and these springs bear upon caps D. D. which rest on the upper surfaces of the ournals a, of a shaft E. as shown clearly in Fig. 2.

n the shaft E. there is placed a fluted roller F. This roller may be constructed of wood and have a rigid surface or it may be covered with indiarubber the rubber being corrugated so as to form an elastic `fluted surface. The Shaft E. has a crank Gr. at one end.

H. represents an india-rubber apron the ends of which areattached to end-pieces or strips I. I. which have journals or tenons l), at their ends at their outer sides, see Fig. The apron H. has its upper surface corrugated the corrugat-ions being formed by means of transverse and diagonal raised ledges c, as shown clearly in Figs. 3 and 1l. This form of corruga-tion we prefer although other forms may be used.

The tenons or journals o, of the end-pieces or strips I. I. are fitted in bearings'in supports J. J. which are attached to the inner surfaces of the sides of the bor' A. and theend pieces or strips I. I. are connected at their under sides by elastic bands or strips K. K. two or more of the latter being used, see Fig. 5.

The india-rubber apron I-I. forms an elastic bed and it is placed directly beneath the fluted roller F. as shown in Fig. l.

Theroperation of the machine is follows: The box A. is supplied with a requisite quantity of suds or soap and water, and the roller F. is rotated first in one direction and then in the other, the clothes, shown in red, being placed between the roller and apron. The apron yields or gives under the action of the roller and clothes, the apron assuming a concave form corresponding to the curvature of the roller F. The apron is stayed by the elastic bands or straps K. K. the latter being acted upon through the medium of the end-pieces or strips I. I. which are acted upon or give under the action of the roller and clothes. The elastic bands or straps K. K. are an important feature as they support or sta-y the apron H. preventing it being unduly stretched, and imparting to it a yielding capacit-y apart from its natural elasticity which renders the apron far more efcient than the ordinary yielding slatted concaves or beds which are placed on springs and commonly used with a tluted roller. The corrugations of the apron H. scrape or rub the dirt from the clothes and yield suiiciently to allow buttons to pass through without being broken, the roller F. serves as a feeder and rubber combined, the roller is allowed a vertical yielding movement by means of the springs C. C.

IVe are aware that fluted rollers and elastic concaves or beds have been previously gated india rubber apron H stretched between end pieces I. I. when arranged for joint operation with a rubbing roller F, the whole constructed as described for the purposes set forth. JOHN STEVENS.

LUTHER H. BUELL. Titnesses M. M. LIVINGSTON,

C. W. CowTAN. 

